Hack N Akron coming back for third go-round

Launch League is ready to put Akron's problem-solvers back to work again.

The group's Hack N Akron 3.0 is set for Saturday, Dec. 9. The 12-hour hackathon, in its third iteration, brings together upward of 100 coders, designers, marketers, entrepreneurs and students to put their minds and talents together in hopes of solving some of the city's problems.

The first event, held in September 2016, looked at coming up with digital platforms to make city data easily accessible (called open data) and creating branding plans for Akron's diverse neighborhoods. The second event, held on April 22, continued the work on those two initiatives and added the challenge of improving the reservation process at the city's community learning centers, which are public schools whose spaces also are available for use by residents and community groups.

Hack N Akron 3.0 will continue to look for solutions to all three challenges, city officials said.

"We know that some of our most persistent organizational challenges could be significantly improved through the efficient use of technology," Akron mayor Dan Horrigan said in a news release. "So we've brought together a motivated, resourceful team of tech- and design-savvy hackers to help us creatively rethink our processes and improve residents' experiences."

With both tech and marketing challenges, Hack N Akron events traditionally have attracted a range of participants, from software developers to communication specialists.

"We've seen amazing progress in the city since our first hackathon last year in terms of open data, innovation and technology, and community-oriented branding and storytelling," Launch League founder Nicholas Petroski said in a statement. "It's inspiring to see such a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives come together to create these solutions."

Horrigan will kick off Hack N Akron 3.0 at 8:15 a.m. Dec. 9 at the FirstEnergy West Akron Campus on White Pond Drive. Final presentations and demonstrations are set for 7 p.m. For more information or to register, check online.

Archbishop Hoban innovates

One of the hallmarks of industry today is that the business community is trying to become an active participant in helping to produce the workforce it hopes to see.

Companies have formed connections and programs with college and trade schools in an effort to close the skills gap in manufacturing and other industries. Some even reaching down into high schools.

Add Archbishop Hoban High School to the list of schools thinking about preparing students for specific workforce needs and, hopefully, soon connecting with businesses.

The private Akron school recently opened its new 3,050-square-foot innovation center, which will put an emphasis on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics). The center — which was formerly library space and transformed at a cost of about $500,000 in donated funds — also includes a maker space with 3-D printing capabilities, a print shop, a wood shop and a robotics lab, Hoban president Todd Sweda said. Plus, it includes a video conference center that will allow students to access experts and learn how to communicate with the global economy.

And while plenty of schools have maker spaces and focus on STEM, or even STEAM, Hoban is taking it a step further by partnering with the University of Akron College of Business Administration on a new entrepreneurship curriculum set to start next semester, Sweda said. And Sweda hopes that someday, the university then can help kids hook up with area businesses to explore career opportunities.

"We're always taking a look at current things happening in education that particularly relate to authentic and relevant learning," Sweda said, referring to the hands-on work and career exposure students will get to look at career options.

In addition to the University of Akron, Hoban is working with the Akron chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association, which donated most of the equipment to the maker space's modern shop. The group also will help set up student apprenticeships with local companies, Sweda said.

Going forward, Hoban has set up an endowment fund because it has created a space with "consumable resources," Sweda said.

Once the partnership with UA's College of Business Administration gets off the ground, Sweda said he hopes to, perhaps, forge relationships with university science and engineering departments.

"(The center) is really going to be an impetus to taking a look at real 21st-century learning and enhancing that," Sweda said.

Streaming arrival

"Burn the Ships," the documentary that tells the story of the Akron Racers fast-pitch softball team, has landed on the Hulu streaming service.

The film, directed and by Danielle Miller and Julia Thorndike, premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival in March and later made the rounds at other film festivals. Since then, distributor Gravitas Ventures picked up the film, which is now also available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and YouTube.

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